Question

    To move visual technology into the future, sometimes it helps to make a little noise. Researchers have used sound waves to produce floating 3-D images, create a sense of touch and even supply a soundtrack.

Since the 1940s, scientists have toyed with the concept of acoustic levitation(声悬浮), the use of soundwave vibrations to trap tiny things in midair. The technology has gained greater capabilities in the past decade. Some researchers believe this improvement could lead to applications such as contributing to novel 3-D printing methods, or creating displays that would be visible from any angle without requiring a screen.

Other researchers have also worked on visual displays that use acoustic levitation. In addition to visuals, the system can also produce audible noise to give the display a soundtrack. And the ultrasound speakers can also concentrate vibrations in one spot so that a finger might feel a sense pushing back—a little like the object shown by the floating image is really there. Soundwaves create a 3-D display!

Display without a screen is remarkably useful. It means that everybody in the room can see the image—any angle, location—and that’s extremely helpful. As a communications system, such a display might one day allow users to chat with a 3-D projection(投影) of a person who can turn his or her head to follow as they move around a room.

The display will require a lot more work before you can install it in your living room, however. So far, this has been done in the research laboratory. We need to push it a little bit harder. We need to do more analysis to see if it would make sense to create a real display that people would have at home. The current system can only show simple graphics, such as a smiley face or figure eight, in real time.

Still, we are optimistic about the potential for this type of technology. If the system had only one speaker-covered surface instead of two, it could generate images that are bigger than the device itself. We can’t make a TV image that’s bigger than the TV—even a projector has to have a projection screen that’s bigger than the image itself. But with a volumetric(容积的) display, a small, portable device might produce a much larger picture. We can imagine, in the future, having volumetric displays in watches, for example, that create large images that just project out of your watch.

1.From the first two paragraphs soundwave vibrations can be used to _________.

A.catch very small objects in midair

B.develop 3-D printer’s capabilities

C.replace a creative display screen

D.compose soundtracks by making no noise

2.What do we know about display without a screen?

A.It has resulted in visual technology.

B.It is possible to see the image from any direction.

C.It is already ripe to create a real one at home.

D.It has yet to be tested in the research laboratory.

3.What does the last paragraph mainly talk about?

A.Outlooks for the new technology.

B.Situations of the modern technology.

C.Praise for the cutting-edge technology.

D.Room for the technical improvement.

4.What can be a suitable title for the passage?

A.Hearing Is Seeing—Sound Waves Create a 3-D Display

B.Seeing is Believing—3-D Printing Methods Arrive

C.Advancing Sense of Touch—3-D Images Float in the Air

D.Promoting TV Technology—Chat with 3-D Projections

Answer

1.A

2.B

3.A

4.A

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。主要说明了研究人员利用声波产生漂浮的3-D图像，创造触觉，甚至提供背景音乐。使用声悬浮的视觉显示器可以让人们从任何方向看到图像。但是实现这一技术在家里安装仍然需要很多工作，尽管如此，人们仍然对这种技术的潜力持乐观态度。

1.细节理解题。根据第二段第一句Since the 1940s, scientists have toyed with the concept of acoustic levitation, the use of soundwave vibrations to trap tiny things in midair.(自20世纪40年代以来，科学家们一直在玩弄声悬浮的概念，即利用声波振动将微小物体困在半空中)以及前面两段的内容可知，声波振动可以用来捕捉空中的非常小的物体。故选A。

2.细节理解题。根据第四段中It means that everybody in the room can see the image—any angle, location—and that’s extremely helpful.(这意味着房间里的每个人都能看到图像——任何角度、位置——这非常有帮助)可知，没有屏幕的显示可以从任何方向看到图像。故选B。

3.主旨大意题。根据最后一段中We can imagine, in the future, having volumetric displays in watches, for example, that create large images that just project out of your watch.(我们可以想象，在未来，在手表上有容量显示器，例如，可以创建大的图像，从你的手表里投影出来)以及首句Still, we are optimistic about the potential for this type of technology.(尽管如此，我们仍然对这类技术的潜力持乐观态度)可知，段落主要内容为讨论未来新技术的可能性，可知最后一段主要讨论了对新技术的展望。故选A。

4.主旨大意题。根据第一段中Researchers have used sound waves to produce floating 3-D images, create a sense of touch and even supply a soundtrack.(研究人员利用声波产生漂浮的3-D图像，创造触觉，甚至提供背景音乐)以及文章主要内容为说明使用声悬浮视觉显示器，可以让人们从任何方向看到图像。故A选项“听觉就是视觉——声波产生三维显示”概括文章大意，是最佳标题。故选A。